Three's a crowd

The day Love left the city of Las Vegas, she promised herself she would never look back. Four children and two dogs, a failed marriage, and a lifetime of memories packed into the back of a moving trailer. Everything she earned on her own was with her, the rest left behind to a man she thought would be her forever and a good father. She was determined to give her children the life they, and herself, deserved. She was 32 years old, newly divorced and excited to see what came next. Love had never been the kind of woman that stayed down for too long. She had 3 beautiful boys ranging from 5 to 11 years of age, and a beautiful baby girl that was 2 years old. She knew the moment her baby girl began to grow inside her stomach that she was destined for a better life. A new start. With a small town in site, she thought the slower pace would be refreshing for everyone. Pulling into town for the first time was magical, no blaring sirens, no towering buildings, or 20-minute-long stop lights. They could view miles of open land with livestock covering the fields, bridges going over the rivers, lakes, and old train tracks, old-fashioned storefronts, wooden fences, and people that seem to wave as you pass by. A smaller town, a quieter life, a chance to raise her children somewhere that felt safe. She wanted adventure, she wanted freedom. She wanted to laugh without feeling guilty about it. And maybe, just maybe, a chance to remember the woman she was before being destroyed by a man she thought she could trust. She pulled up to the house she leased, seeing it for the first time in person. The kids were eager to get out and claim their rooms for themselves. Love approached the doorway with bags and baby girl in hand, hearing the cheerful laughter of an argument between the kids running from room to room. She took a deep breath and entered their new home. "Home…" she thought with a sigh of relief. She began delegating who got which room and carried her daughter into their new room, which she intended on sharing with her. She was still young enough to co-sleep, so the number of rooms was not a problem. She kindly asked her oldest son to help with the bags as she started to unwrap mattresses and unload the trailer. The dogs were having a good time in the backyard as the younger kids were playing with the toys coming out of the trailer. The kids are settling in and everyone is feeling comfortable in their new space as the house slowly comes together as a home. The children were in homeschool, so Love and her children were able to spend a lot of time together at home and exploring the new little town they became a part of. While out, they stopped at a small mexican restaurant to share a snack. That is when the notice from the bank popped up on Love's phone. Being a single mother and moving really took a toll on any savings she had built. It was time for her to find a new job, and quickly. She searched for "up-scale dining and drinks" and stumbled upon a job she couldn't pass up. Love had a new job lined up as a bartender at a local golf resort. The resort had a beautiful 700 acre view. With live-in homes, vacation homes, and a hotel and restaurant at the entrance. The golf course had a view directly off the restaurant's deck, giving it the most extravagant venue that Love had ever experienced. She bartended for some years out in Las Vegas, so this new setting was very refreshing for her. She also mastered a background in health and wellness, and occasionally taught yoga. It was not very long before the general manager of the restaurant saw her potential and promoted her as the health and wellness coordinator. A promotion doing what she had the most passion for, a raise to take care of her 4 children. What more could she ask for? There were still some days of the week she would bartend or serve in the restaurant to fill the empty schedule and keep herself busy. One morning, working as a waitress and bartender, a man and 2 boys walked in for breakfast. Love sat them down right away, as they were not that busy. She noticed the man was not wearing a ring, and couldn't help but think to herself how stunning this man was. Tall, about 6 ft, a long beard, clean cut hair, blue eyes, and a smile that was contagious. Love was also sharing the floor with one other server, and in this case, the table was her colleagues. She couldn't help but to comment to the other server, "There is nothing hotter than a good father." The other server nodded in agreement. When the food was ready, Love kindly asked if she could run the food out to the man and the 2 boys. The other server gave her the green light, and Love was on it. She just wanted one last closer look. "Maybe he's married?" she thought. Once she brought the food up, she, again, saw no ring. "Is there anything else I may get you for the table?" she asked with a smile. "No, everything looks good!" he smiled back, with his answer. They locked eyes, just for a moment, before Love turned and walked away shy. After that encounter, Love could not seem to get this man's smile out of her mind. Days had passed, and she noticed the same man walking in and out of the resort talking to multiple people that Love had assumed were the bosses. She was very wrong about who truly ran the show. Every time he entered the building, Love and he locked eyes, and sent a friendly wave. Even from across the building, they couldn't seem to keep their eyes off of each other. While working in the Health and Wellness position, Love was required to have group manager meetings with all departments of the resort. The general manager ran the meetings with everyone in a big circle. They all had the opportunities to explain what their branch was succeeding in and particular plans for the future of that branch. Love noticed, no matter the branch, no matter the job, one name was brought up time and time again: John Lindsay. Unfortunately, Love was too new to the area and job to know exactly who that was or why he was so important. Never truly matching the face to the name, one day it dawned on her. "John Lindsay is... HIM?" she thought in a panic. Days following, Love questioned whether she was correctly matching the name to the face. "Was he the same man? Does he run this place or own this place?" She really had no idea what she was getting herself in to. She had to get him out of her head and focus on work. At the last manager meeting, Love was tasked with recreating the coffee bar. This would include minor construction on the front lobby countertop neighboring the restaurant's register counter for specialty coffees. The coffee counter would include healthy snacks and meals to go for travelers, guests, and residents, which would need a mini-fridge installed in to the counter itself. It would also include a complete renovation of the current specialty coffee bar, which would include new mugs, shelving, espresso beans, flavors and a new menu. She was determined to make it the best to her knowledge. Putting herself in the shoes of the patron that needed a healthy meal and good quality coffee before traveling. Tasked to this job meant the world to Love, and she wanted to get it right. Knowing there was minor construction needed, she went through the Call List of all management on the property to see if the resort had a contractor of their own. She looked down the list, and there she saw it, John Lindsay- CEO and Facility Director. Full name, number, and email, just right there at her fingertips. She took a leap and thought, "If he is the facility director, I should probably make him aware there will be minor construction scheduled to be done." — As if she needed any other excuse. The email was sent, there was no going back now. She was anxious when he had a very quick response, "Let's meet tomorrow morning, and you can walk me through your ideas."